Radiator construction



March 20, 1934. R, H, NELSON 1,951,368

RADIATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 16. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l Zig@ March 20, 1934. R, l-LNELsoN 1,951,368

RADIATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 16, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 2o, 1934. R, H, NELSON 1,951,368

RADIATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 16, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES RADIATOR CONSTRUCTION Richard H. Nelson, Moline, Ill., assignor to The Herman Nelson Corporation, Moline, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application March 16,

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in radiator construction.

The radiator of the present invention is intended primarily for use in cabinets recessed in or set on legs near the Walls of the room with an intake at or near the floor and a discharge into the room at a higher level, and the present radiator is designed in particular to conform to the requirements of cabinets of the character mentioned, although it may be used under other circumstances.

With this end in view, the radiator of the present invention is of generally rectangular shape and of comparatively shallow dimensions, and in order to permit the radiator to be located in close proximity to the floor to get the maximum flue effect and to obviate the waste of space necessary for adding externally connected valves for controlling the inow and outiiow of the heating medium, the radiator is constructed with relatively large headers within which the valves are housed, provision being made for the manipulation of the inlet valve from a point outside of the cabinet and within `easy reach of a person in the room.

The radiator furthermore is so designed as to permit it to be constructed in unitary form with the cabinet, and inexpensively assembled by specialists at the factory, so that the usual expensive work attending the installation by tradesmen in connection with the heating system of the building is reduced to a minimum; and in order to accommodate the radiator connections to variations in the positioning of the piping, a iiexible pipe connection is provided, which may -be quickly bent or adjusted to compensate for such variations.

In the usual construction, considerable space is required at the ends of the radiators, or below, for valves and piping connections. Vertical space is valuable, because the cabinets are usually installed under low windows, and raising the bottom of the radiator for valve space reduces the capacity of the radiator for heating -by the shortening of the flue height available for drawing air past the heating surfaces of the radiator, and it is with due regard to the above requirements that the present radiator is designed.

In order to fully set forth the characteristics of the radiator construction of the present invention, it is shown in combination with the other `contributing features constituting the complete unit recessed in a Wall of a room, although it will be understood that the invention is directed primarily to the radiator itself, or to any cornbination of a radiator within ra cabinet Where saving of space at the ends or below the radiator vis available.

In the drawings:

'Figure 1 is Aa front elevation of Ja recessed type 1932, Serial No. 599,139

of cabinet positioned within a wall recess, with one of the ends partially broken away to reveal the interior;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation vtaken on line 2.-..2 o1" Fig. l, showing the valve, the valve handle extension, and gearing;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the radiator and valves in the headers taken on line 3,-,3 of Figure l;

Fig. l is a sectional elevation of the radiator and headers; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail through one of the headers, showing one of the valves and connections for the admission of a restricted flow of steam to the radiator.

The cabinet shown in the drawings is designed to iit into a recess 10 in a wall 11, which is of proper depth to accommodate the entire struf ture.

The cabinet comprises end walls l2, a top wall 1 3, a back wall 14, and a front panel 17. `The cab-inet is provided with an inlet '24 in the base, and an air discharge opening 18 near the top of the front panel.

It is to be understood, however, that the radiator of the present invention is equallyapplicable to a cabinet structure set on the floor out in the room.

The cabinet or housing serves as an enclosure for a radiator comprising an oversize inlet header 27 and a return header 28 (Figs. 3 and 4), each of which is of generally rectangular formation and of a depth and length to extend from the front panel to the rear wall of the cabinet near the end thereof and close to its bottom and above the air inlet 24.

The headers are connected on each side by metal strap bars 29-29, which rigidly unite the two headers and afford a self-sustaining frame structure irrespective of the radiator tubes, which frame structure also affords a base or foundation for the cabinet, which may be secured thereto in any suitable manner, so that the entire assembly can be shppedfrom the factory as a unit ready to install in position.

The headers are connected by a group of radiator tubes 30 (three in number in the structure shown), which tubes carry a multiplicity of radiating fins 31 which are apertured to permit the passage of the tubes therethrough and are provided with flanges 32 around the apertures, which function as spacers for maintaining the fins at a proper distance from one another and also serve .to aord a close metal to metal contact ybetween the fins and the tubes.

Each tube has each of its ends .entered into a tube plate 33, which forms a part of the contiguous header, and, as shown, each of A.the tubes, near one of its ends, is provided with a bellowsufolded section 34, which aords an area adaptable CFL:

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to take up the individual expansion and contraction of the respective tubes under varying thermal conditions.

Heretofore, attaching valves to cabinet covered radiators has been wasteful of space needed for other purposes. For instance, if the valves were placed above the radiator, it has been dihicult to pipe from below, and provide access doors for the Workmens tools and get the required space when installed under low windows. If the valves were extended out from each end of the radiator, it reduced the available heating length of the radiator for the same Wall space materially, and if the valves were installed below the radiator, it Was necessary to shorten the flue height used to draw 'air through for heating in order to get space to oiset the pipes to meet roughed-in branches, and danger of gurgling from accumulation of water above a throttled valve seat was unavoidable.

The valves of the present invention are built into the header to avoid the above mentioned space-wasting practices and get the valve seat above the drain level ofthe radiator tubes and provide space for piping to variably located branchpipes thereof, insuring a minimum piping to varia-bly located branch pipes thereof and insuring a minimum height for the radiator above the iioor level.

The valve apparatus requires extra room in the header, and the result is increased volumetric header capacity for expanding the steam and means for insuring equal distribution of steam to each heating tube without restriction at the entrance of the tubes, as has heretofore been the case.

' The inlet header 27 is preferably provided with a valve head 35, which is adapted to be advanced or retracted by the'rotation of a screw stem 36 carrying a driven bevel gear 37, which meshes with a bevel gear 38 at the inner end of an adjoining rod 39, which is journalled through a bearing box 4o carried by the header 27, and extends outwardly through the iront panel of the housing and carries a handle 41 which permits the valve to be adjusted from a convenient position near the bottom of the front panel, by a person in the room. f

The valve head coacts with an interchangeable valve seat 42, which as shown is in the form of a rremovable tail piece 43 extending to above the drain level of the radiator tubes and threaded upwardly through the base or" the header, and provided with a restricted aperture 44 adapted to be controlled by the regulation of the valve in proportional restriction according to the amount the valve seat is raised. This arrangement affords an interchangeable'variable valve restricted` port, close to the drain level, for the inow of steam, which is desirable in order to get full benefit of the valve regulation and to prevent danger of gurgling or crackling from Water accumulation by eliminating space for any aforesaid accumulation of water.

The restricted port 44 is a necessity to get ideal equable distribution of steam to scattered radiators of various sizes and distances from the steam generator in the system, by interchanging various sizes until results are acquired.

It is usual to employ large pipes up to each radiator to insure freedom from stoppage by scale and dirt', reduce the need of excessive care and skill in layout design for pitch and drainage, and keep the pressure drop from the boiler loWto the immediate entrance to each radiator, where a radical restriction is provided for choking the supply of steam close to the radiator. In the radiator of the present invention, the steam, after passing the oriiice 44, will expand in the large header, so that if only enough steam is generated to ll half of the radiators, each one will get its share.

The return header 28 is preferably provided with a thermal bellows trap 46 to drain oondensed water as fast as formed, but may in lieu thereof be similarly equipped with a hand manipulated valve like the supply header described in detail.

Steam is preferably admitted to the inlet header 27 and the Water oi condensation carried away from the return header 28 through soft iiexible copper tubing 45 adapted to be bent and coupled to the roughly put in branch piping installed during early building operationabefore exact positions oi wall iinishes and floor are established, and

in view of the fact that the flexibility is afforded by the tubing 45, it is not necessary that the branch pipes be exactly located, or that a radiator be furnished having exact predetermined relation thereto in order to provide for a proper installation or the radiator unit assembly.

' The arrangement is one which obviates the necessity for elevating the radiator sufficiently to provide for the location of both valves and piping oirsets between the headers and the iioor level.

By location of the valves integral within the headers and shipping the iiexible pipe connections complete as an assembled unit that may be installed after all building-operations are practically completed, the structure as a whole is greatly simplified and the work oi installation materially reduced, so that the radiator as a Whole is compact, rugged, eflicient, and adapted to be used as a universal unit to rit into the building with very little preparatory supervision, that has heretofore been a burden to both heating and building contractors and architects.

Although the radiator has been described in its specific relationship to the cabinet as a Whole, nevertheless, it Will be understood that the present invention is directed to the details of construction of the radiator in combination with valves and pipe connections rather than to the cabinet as a whole, since the radiator valve combination might be used with advantage in cabinets of different types which omit several of the special features of construction shown.

l. A radiator 'comprising spaced headers and tubes between the headers, a restricted oriiice steam supplyV piece in one of the headers, and a valve operable from the exterior of the header and adapted to proportionately vary the effective oriiice port by movement of the valvefto- Wards or away from its seat.

2. In a cabinet radiator, the combination of a cabinet, a radiator with headers one at each end of the cabinet, removable steam supply and return valve mechanisms in the respective headers, a bevel gearY operating extension to the exterior of the cabinet for operating the steam supply valve, and thermostatically operated mechanism in the interior of the return header for regulating the return valve.

3. In a cabinet radiator, the combination of spaced headers and tubes between the headers, one of the headers being provided with a connection for the inlet of steam, and being provided on its interior with a valve member coacting with a restricted orifice above the drain level of the tubes to vary the discharge through said orice and controllable by hand, and a thermostatically operated valve mechanism in the return header to drain accumulated condensed water from the radiator.

4. In a radiator, the combination of spaced headers and tubes between the headers, one o1" the headers being provided with a connection for the inlet of steam, and being provided on its interior with a valve seat member communicating with the inlet and having a restricted aperture for the discharge of steam into the interior of the header for distribution through the tubes, and said apertured member extending above the drain level of the tubes.

5. In a radiator, the combination of spaced headers and tubes between the headers, one of the headers being provided with a connection for the inlet of steam, and being provided on its interior with a member communicating with the inlet and having a restricted aperture for the discharge of steam into the interior of the header for distribution through the tubes, and a valve Within said header adapted to vary the restriction of said aperture to eii'iciently control the discharge of steam through said apertured member.

6. In a radiator, the combination of spaced headers and tubes between the headers, one of the headers being provided with a connection for the inlet of steam, and being provided on its interior with a member communicating with the inlet and having a restricted aperture for the discharge of expanded steam into the interior of the header for distribution through the tubes, the said apertured member extending above the drain level of the tubes, and a valve within said header adapted to control the discharge of steam through the aperture of said member.

7. In a radiator, the combination of horizontally elongated spaced headers and substantially horizontal tubes between the headers, one of the headers being provided through its bottom with a transversely opening vertically extending connection for the inlet of steam, and being provided on its interior with a vertically operable valve, said valve including a vertically extending valve stem provided at its upper end with a bevel gear, and a handle and horizontal shaft provided at its inner end with a bevel gear meshing with the iirst named bevel gear for controlling the valve from an accessible point, and reinforcing bars connecting the headers for protecting the tubes against distortion.

8. In a radiator, the combination of spaced headers and tubes between the headers, one of v the headers being provided with a connection for the inlet of steam, and being provided on its interior with a removable member communicating with the inlet, and having a restricted aperture for the discharge of steam into the interior of the header for distribution through the tubes, and said apertured member extending above the drain level of the tubes, and a valve within said header adapted to control the discharge of steam through the aperture of said member, said valve 1 including a valve stem provided at its upper end with a bevel gear, and a handle and shaft provided at its inner end with a bevel gear meshing with the rst mentioned bevel gear for controlling the valve from an accessible point.

9. In a radiator, the combination of a pair of spaced headers and connecting tubes having fins threaded thereonto, each of the headers being of transversely elongated form, and connecting bars secured to the ends of the headers and embracing and protecting the ns mounted thereon and serving to reinforce the structure independently of the tubes, one of the headers being provided with a hand controlled inlet valve and the other header with a thermostatically operated discharge valve, the inlet header being provided with a removable tail piece having a restricted crice for steam and extending above the discharge level of the tubes, a iiexible supply pipe registering with said tail piece, and a coupling for holding the parts in assembled relation, the inlet valve co-acting with said tail piece, and means for regulating said valve and the restrictive effect of said crice from a point outside of the header.

10. In a device of the class described in combination with xedly located branch piping, the combination of a radiator comprising separated headers and connecting tubes provided with fins, reinforcing bars connecting the ends of the headers and extending outside of the fins, supply and return pipes connected with the respective headers and with the xed branch piping, one of said pipes being flexible, and a boxlike cabinet enclosing the radiator and rigidly secured thereto to constitute a unit in conjunction therewith, the radiator being located near the base of the cabinet and constituting a frame therefor.

1l. A radiator comprising spaced inlet and return headers and tubes between the headers, a steam supply valve head structure adapted to be vertically screwed in as a complete assembly and located Within the inlet header, and supply and return pipe connections for the respective headers.

12. A radiator comprising spaced inlet and return headers and tubes between the headers, a steam supply Valve head structure adapted to be vertically screwed in as a complete assembly and located within the inlet header, supply and return pipe connections for the respective headers, and a thermostatically operated return valve within the return header.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination of a radiator comprising separated headers and connecting tubes, provided with sections congured to take up the individual expansion and contraction of the respective tubes under varying thermal conditions, fins carried by the tubes, reinforcing bars rigidly connecting the headers, and supply and return pipes connected with the respective headers, one of said pipes being flexible, said supply and return pipes being adapted for connection with the flxedly located piping of a building.

14. In a radiator, the combination of spaced inlet and return headers having on all sides elongated side walls and having closing end walls, tubes extending between the headers and entered into the opposed inner side Walls, a connection for the inlet of steam entered into one of the other side walls of the inlet header on an axis substantially at right angles to the axis of the tubes, a head structure for the discharge of steam, located within the inlet header and constituting an interior extension on the steam connection and extending in the same direction and adapted to discharge steam transversely of the header, a transversely movable interior valve adapted to control the discharge from said head structure, and a transversely extending valve stem extending from said valve through the opposite side wall of the header and adapted to be operable from an exterior position, and a return pipe leading from the return header.

RICHARD H. NELSON. 

